Rotary machine



Oct. 14, 1941. A. 1 HODGE ROTARY MACHINE Filed Feb. l5, 1939 f IIIIIIIIHIII Patented Oct. 14, 1941 ROTARY MACHINE Arthur J. Hodge, Lomta., Calif., assigner t0 The National Supply Company, Pittsburgh, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application February 15, 1939, Serial No, 256,502

2 Claims.

This invention relates to rotary machines of the character ordinarily employed in the drilling of wells for the recovery of oil, gas, Water, or the like, and is more particularly directed to an improvement in the base structure for such a rotary machine.

Rotary machines as utilized in the drilling oi wells are subjected to very severe service and are required to support extremely heavy loads. These loads may, and often do, reach the magnitude of in eXcess of one hundred tons. This weight is imposed upon the base of the rotary machine when the rotary machine is required to support the entire weight of the drill pipe or casing.

In order to support this load and to withstand the eXtreme service loads that are imposed uponthe rotary machine during operation thereof, it has been the practice to increase the wall thickness of various parts of the base of the rotary machine, thereby increasing the weight of the structure. This increasing of wall thickness and Weight has resulted in very expensive foundry practice owing to the ponderous and Ycumbersome casting required for the production of such base structures.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a structure of rotary machine base which is capable of withstanding severe service and supporting extremely heavy loads which is of such design and construction that the load carrying proportions are so constructed and arranged that extremely heavy sections are unnecessary and wherein the foundry procedure and the fabrication of such base castings is the rotary table directly to the inner of the longitudinal supporting ribs of a pair of supporting members.

Another object of this invention is to provide an integrally cast rotary machine base having a pair of longitudinal supporting members, each y ulicirzorltal fcotinss ,5.

comprising two side walls and a bottom wall, said members being formed with open portions at the top to facilitate the foundry practice in the fabrication of such a base structure.

Another object of this invention is to provide a base casting for a rotary machine wherein the supporting surfaces for such base casting and the surface on which the pinion shaft bearings are mounted `are so related to each other that the machining operations on such surfaces may be accomplished in one set-up on the machine tool employed for this purpose, thereby reducing manufacturing costs.

Other objects and advantages of this invention it is believed will be apparent from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment thereof as illustrated in the accompanying drawing.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a plan View of a rotary machine base embodying my invention illustrating the same before the complete installation of the tread plates upon the parallel supports and illustrating the base partly in horizontal section.

Figure 2 is a side elevation of an assembled rotary machine illustrating the same partly in vertical section.

Figure 3 is a sectional end View taken sub-` stantially on the line 3 3 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is asectional view taken substantially on the line 4--4 of Figure l, Certain parts of the rotary table assembly being illustrated to show their relationship to the base structure.

The rotary machine illustrated in connection with my invention is of the general form illustrate-d in the Morgan et al. Patent No. 2,205,269,

granted June 8, 1940, in that the assembly of the pinion shaft and driving pinion with relation to the rotary machine table is accomplished by moving the assembly of the pinion shaft, pinion and bearings upwardly from the under side of the base casting to a position where the pinion will be brought into mesh with the ring gear of the rotary table and wherein the pinion yis enclosed from below through the medium of an enclosure pan secured to the base casting from the under surface.

In the rotary machine as herein illustrated/l indicates a rotary machine base which is formed as an integral oneepiece casting to include a pair of spaced, longitudinal skids or supporting members 2. The supporting members 2 are formed with an inner rib 3 and an Outer rib 4, which ribs are integrally joined at their lower ends by The base structure I formed near one end and intermediate the skids 2 to provide a central table receiving opening 6. The base I is also formed with an annular shelf 'I which acts as a bearing support for the supporting bearing 8 upon which the rotary table 9 is rotatably supported.

The rotary table 9 as herein illustrated includes a downwardly extending annular skirt I which extends downwardly through the opening 6 and carries an upthrust bearing ring II at its lower end. The bearing ring II is secured to the lower end of the skirt Ill by means of studs I2 and nuts I3. Shims I4 are interposed between the bearing ring II and the end of the skirt ID to provide for the desired bearing adjustment. Bearing ring II engages an annular shoulder I5 formed on the base I to hold the table 9 from upward displacement relative to the base I. The base I is also formed with an annular upstanding enclosure ring I6 forming an` annular enclosure with the skirt IB within which the bearings 8 are positioned, and also within which the pinion I'I is mounted. The upper edge of the enclosure rim I5 -is formed with an annular groove I8 to cooperate with the table 9 to forma labyrinth seal I9 between the table 9 and the base I. The table 9 includes the customary ring gear Z which meshes within the enclosure formed with the driving pinion I1.

As is illustrated in Figures 1 and 4, the annular rim I6 is formed integrally with the supporting members 2 and extends downwardly to form a continuous integral joint with the footings 5. This integral construction of the annular wall I5 with the supporting members 2 and footing 5 provides for a very rigid construction wherein the integrally formed walls as illustrated lend support to each other. An integrally cast connecting web 2I connects the thrust bearing support 'I, the'outer rim I6 and the inner rib 3 of the supports 2.

The pinion shaft 22 is rotatably mounted in bearings 23 and has the pinion II secured on one end and the driving sprocket 24 on the other. Only one of the spaced pinion shaft bearings 23 is specifically illustrated, the other being of like construction and being located nearer the outer end of the pinion shaft 22 in the manner as illustrated in the Morgan et al. patent referred to above.

These bearings 23 are carried in bearing boxes 24a which are secured against the lower faces 28 of the base extension 29 and are held in position by means of bolts 30 and nuts 3| projected through the integrally formed bolt bosses 32 formed in the base extension 29. Shims 33 are interposed between the bearing boxes 2lia and the vfaces 28 to provide for the desired vertical adjustment of the pinion shaft 22. The enclosing pan 3d is likewise secured to the under faces 28, and this pan 34 provides a lubricant reservoir y35 below the pinion I'I. It will thus be apparent that this structure positions the faces 28 with the lower faces 3B and the footings 5 in a position where they are both accessible from the under surface of the base casting I, thereby permitting the surfacing of these faces 28 and 36 in one setting of the base casting with reference to the machine tool which may be utilized for finishing the surfaces. This requiring only one set-up of the base casting with reference to the machine tool to accomplish the finishing of the surfaces greatly decreases the cost of the finishing operations, because the magnitude of the casting vmakes the setting-up of the casting with reference to the machines a rather expensive operation.

It will likewise be apparent that all other surfaces of the base casting requiring boring, as, for example, the shoulder I5, the inner surface of the opening 6, and the bearing support 1, may be accomplished through one setting of the casting with relation to the boring machine, thereby again saving considerable in the fabrication of the completed structure because of the simplification of finishing operations required.

In order that the base casting may have sufficient rigidity to withstand the tremendous loads which may be imposed thereon, the annular bearing support I is integrally cast with a part of the transverse webs 31 which are in turn integrally cast with the inner longitudinal ribs 3. The load thus transposed to the bearing support is thereby transmitted directly to the inner longitudinal ribs 3 of the skids 2 and then to the integral footings 5.- This construction makes the effective span between the supports equal to the distance between the inner ribs 3 rather than the inner distance between the outer ribs 4 and hence lighter sections can be utilized to carry the same weight. The inner ribs 3 are preferably slanted downwardly from the bearing support I in order to further increase the rigidity of the base structure I. The outer ribs 4 of the parallel supports 2 contribute materially t0 the strengthening of the members 2 and cooperate with the inner ribs y3 to maintain the footings 5 rigid. This integral construction of the two sides and bottom forming the skids 2 is highly advantageous as it provides a base structure which is strong yet light in weight. Furthermore, this construction possesses definite advantages from the standpoint of foundry practice and fabrication since the major portion of the length of the skids does not require cores but can be formed directly in green sand, as will be readily understood by those skilled in the art.

In order to close the footings or supports on their upper surface after the foundry sand has been cleaned therefrom, tread plates 38 are provided. These tread plates 38 may be merely tack-welded as indicated at 39 as they are not required to take any stress and therefore require only that amount of securing as is necessary to maintain them in place.

Having fully described my invention, it is to be understood that I do not wish to be limited to the details herein set forth, but my invention is of the full scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a rotary machine, the combination of a base structure having a pair of horizontal skid members formed integrally therewith, each of said skid members comprising inner and outer longitudinal ribs integrally joined at their lower ends by a horizontal footing, said base structure having a central bearing support positioned between said skid members. an annular upstanding wall surrounding said central bearing support, a table rotatably mounted on said central bearing support and cooperating with the upstanding wall to form an enclosure within the Wall, means forming the lower boundary of said enclosure comprising a member integrally joining the bearing support and the upstanding wall, the portions of said wall adjacent the skid members each extending downwardly between the inner and outer longitudinal ribs to join integrally with the horizontal footing, a gear on said table within -the enclosure, and drive means carried by the base structure including a pinion extending within said enclosure and adapted to rotate said gear.

2. As an article of manufacture, a rotary machine base structure having a pair of horizontal skid members cast integrally therewith, each of said skid members comprising inner and outer longitudinal ribs integrally joined at their lower ends by a horizontal footing, said base structure having a central bearing support positioned between said skid members and an annular upstanding wall surrounding said central bearing support, the portions of said upstanding wall adjacent said skids each having an extension projecting downwardly between the inner and outer longitudinal ribs to join integrally with the horizontal footing.

ARTHUR J. HODGE. 

